Episodes

  • Solar storms, ice cores and nuns’ teeth: the new science of history

    Solar storms, ice cores and nuns’ teeth: the new science of history
    May 3 2024
    Advances in fields such as spectrometry and gene sequencing are unleashing torrents of new data about the ancient world – and could offer answers to questions we never even knew to ask. By Jacob Mikanowski. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    37 mins
  • From the archive: The battle over dyslexia

    From the archive: The battle over dyslexia
    May 1 2024
    We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2020: It was once a widely accepted way of explaining why some children struggled to read and write. But in recent years, some experts have begun to question the existence of dyslexia itself. By Sirin Kale. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    46 mins
  • The new science of death: ‘There’s something happening in the brain that makes no sense’

    The new science of death: ‘There’s something happening in the brain that makes no sense’
    Apr 29 2024
    New research into the dying brain suggests the line between life and death may be less distinct than previously thought. By Alex Blasdel. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    34 mins
  • Solidarity and strategy: the forgotten lessons of truly effective protest

    Solidarity and strategy: the forgotten lessons of truly effective protest
    Apr 26 2024
    Organising is a kind of alchemy: it turns alienation into connection, despair into dedication, and oppression into strength. By Astra Taylor and Leah Hunt-Hendrix. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    33 mins
  • From the archive: How Hindu supremacists are tearing India apart

    From the archive: How Hindu supremacists are tearing India apart
    Apr 24 2024
    We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2020: For seven decades, India has been held together by its constitution, which promises equality to all. But Narendra Modi’s BJP is remaking the nation into one where some people count as more Indian than others. By Samanth Subramanian. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    43 mins
  • What is the real Hamas?

    What is the real Hamas?
    Apr 22 2024
    How Israeli, Palestinian and US political actors understand Hamas is not merely a theoretical question – it will determine what kind of agreement can be reached to end the current war, and what the future of Gaza will look like. By Joshua Leifer. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    43 mins
  • A historic revolt, a forgotten hero, an empty plinth: is there a right way to remember slavery?

    A historic revolt, a forgotten hero, an empty plinth: is there a right way to remember slavery?
    Apr 19 2024
    As the author of a book about a pivotal uprising in 18th-century Jamaica, Vincent Brown was enlisted in a campaign to make its leader a national hero. But when he arrived in Jamaica, he started to wonder what he had got himself into. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    45 mins
  • From the archive: Did Brazil’s evangelical superstar have her husband killed?

    From the archive: Did Brazil’s evangelical superstar have her husband killed?
    Apr 17 2024
    We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2021: Flordelis grew up in a Rio favela, but rose to fame after adopting more than 50 children, becoming a hugely successful gospel singer and winning a seat in congress. And now she is on trial for murder. By Tom Phillips. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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    57 mins